The Island of Gozo

Domestic goddess and backyard explorer with a passion for freelance writing!

Published January 9th 2015

Explore ancient relics and human history

The last part of our Maltese holiday included a visit to the sister island of Gozo, also the second biggest island in the Maltese archipelagos. We had pre booked our hop on hop off tour bus for the island a couple of days prior at the hotel tour desk however the ticket did not include travel to and from the ferry port to the island. In some ways, this was more convenient for us as it allowed us more flexibility with our timings. The ferries to and from the island operate regularly, and until after sunset but it is advisable to check these in order to better plan your day.

On board the ferry, we had some nice views of Gozo and its port which included a picturesque church atop the hill, overlooking the many boats and sparkling blue sea. Immediately on diembarkation from the ferry, we spotted our city sightseeing tour bus and jumped on with our headphones (which are provided) so you can constantly hear the commentary of each of the destinations along the way. That is definitely one of the advantages of the hop-on hop-off bus as it is educational as well as convenient.

We first hopped out at the Azure Window, which is a natural arch found off the west coast of Gozo, and a magnificent sight it is indeed! Definitely one of the highlights of Gozo. Unfortunately that day, as it was high tide, it was forbidden to take one of the boat rides along and through the caves on inland part of the coast and through the window for a few euros, but I'd definitely recommend this if you get a chance. Here we spotted two people flying a drone just above the arch, presumably taking photos or videos.

We waited for the next city sightseeing bus which then took us to our second stop-another UNESCO World heritage site. Once again, quite similar to the ones we saw in Malta, but larger and better preserved; it was a sombre reminder of the fragility of these structures and the precious need to preserve them for generations to learn from and enjoy these ancient relics of human history. It was definitely eye opening for me personally. The Ggantija temples did not have audio accompaniment however there were signs posted so you could read the information instead.

On our way back to the port, we got off at a beach on the northern part of Gozo, thinking we would get some food here however that turned out to be a bad idea as the visitor centre and what appeared to be the only food vendor there were closed. So rather than waiting for our next sightseeing bus which would take over an hour as it was lunchtime, we caught the public bus instead, which was incredibly inexpensive.

Well, our trip almost ended here, after we made our way back to our hotel, finishing off with an Indian dinner at the Buggiba boulevard, which was unexpectedly very authentic and delicious. Much appreciated after 3 days of scavenging for tasty vegetarian food!